Starring Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto

Directed by David F. Sandberg

New Line,  out now

David F Sandberg’s prequel to a prequel should by the law of diminishing returns be a predictable waste of your time, and yet, beyond expectations, is a very well made jump factory that knows it’s stuff and how to build up the tension.

As The Conjuring 2 proved last year, there’s still plenty of life left in The Conjuring universe, with a Conjuring 3 and films about The Crooked Man and The Nun in various stages of production. 2014’s Annabelle covered the history of the series’ creepy porcelain doll, and truth be told was a very pedestrian affair. The suggestion of yet another entry set before that one felt like one trip too many the well, so expectations were very low. Little did we know.

Some orphans really have bad luck. It’s 60s America and six Catholic orphans have been shipped out to the remote home of doll-maker Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto. The girls are under the tutelage of a young nun who at first is just happy that the kids have a great home to grow up in. But the house (and the couple) harbour deep, dark secrets, meaning that it’s not long before things have gone a bit The Exorcist by way of The Amityville Horror.

If the measure of a horror film’s success is the way that it ramps up the tension and serves a series of increasingly scary jumps and thrills, then this is job done. While the actual premise of the movie and the horror tropes that it mines are not new, it’s the way in which they are used that is to be applauded. The young girls are all uniformly good, meaning that you’re rooting for them as things start to go south.

Of course, it’s all complete nonsense and there’s a reliance on people doing the wrong thing in the wrong places, as well as an acceptance by the authorities that things are OK when clearly they aren’t. But that’s all part of the fun, as the victims are isolated from help and have to use their own wits to fight the demonic forces. Annabelle herself, an ugly doll in a long white dress (why would any doll-maker think such a hideous creation is suitable for kids?) does very little, only shifting position when you aren’t looking at her. The bigger concern is the evil that she’s bringing into this world, acting as a conduit.

Verdict: Far far better than we expected, or deserved, this period horror story has jumps aplenty and a genuine sense of unease. Even with a low body count and no gratuitous gore don’t kid yourself that this one is for the softies. 8/10

Nick Joy